One Step Back
by DarthAbby
Summary: As Anakin falls on Mustafar, the Force decides to send on of its most loyal servents and bravest warriors back. But can Qui-Gon save everyone? Time-travel AU. UP FOR ADOPTION! MORE DETAILS IN THIRD CHAPTER!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I am posting this as an answer for a challenge posted by Hi Hikari No Kaze in her story, 'Ripples from the Future'. It's really good, you should check it out.**

**The title of this story refers to an old saying that means a lot to me at the moment. Maybe you've heard it before? "For every two steps forward, you must take one step back."**

**Anyways, in the first chapter, she asks for someone to write a time-travel story about Qui-Gon, since there seem to be none of these lurking about fanfiction, which is sad, since though Qui-Gon is not on my top three favorite characters list, he is still pretty awesome. (And, you know, Liam Neeson is pretty awesome, and he plays Qui-Gon) So, here goes nothing!**

**Hey, Hikari No Kaze, since you will eventually be reading this, (and anyone else, for that matter) you should know that this is my first attempt at a time-travel story. Oh, and I don't own Star Wars. Or the above-mentioned author.**

**000**

Qui-Gon Jinn, or really, his Force-ghost, watch sadly as two figures ran along the support beams of a massive mining building on the fiery lava planet of Mustafar. Each wielded a brilliant blue lightsaber, though one was clothed in the Dark and the other, older one, was drenched in the Light, though it was tainted by sadness, regret, reluctance, and numb horror. Qui-Gon sighed. He had had such high hopes for both.

Anakin Skywalker, once a great Jedi Knight, and now a fearsome Sith named Darth Vader, had had such potential. He was strong in the Force, a natural leader, and a gifted Jedi. Yet, Anakin was also impatient, quick to temper, and formed strong attachments, especially to his wife, former Queen and now Senator Padme Amidala.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was still deeply entrenched in the Light of the Force, but he had been hurt far beyond his former Master had ever imagined a person, a Jedi, could be hurt without cracking. And not just the physical pain of being tortured by the Sith witch Ventress, or the innumerable times he had landed in the Healers wing, but the emotional and mental pain of losing Qui-Gon while they were still Master and Padawan, taking on Anakin as an apprentice only hours after becoming a Knight, becoming a General in this wretched Clone War, and, finally, Anakin turning to the Dark Side and slaughtering every single living thing in the Temple they had both once called home. Now, Obi-Wan had been tasked with destroying the one he had loved as a son, a brother by Master Yoda, who had gone to fight the newly proclaimed Emperor, and Sith Lord, Darth Sidious.

Qui-Gon watched as the two continued to battle as the support beam fell into the lava river below and began to slowly sink. Obi-Wan jumped onto a small platform that hovered above the surface of the flaming river, and Anakin leaped onto a small matinence droid that could barley hold the fallen Jedi's weight. Obi-Wan sighted a high bank nearby and leaped onto it.

"It's over, Anakin." He yelled, looking down at his former student's hate-filled yellow eyes. "I have the high ground. Don't try it."

"You underestimate the power of the dark side!" Anakin yelled before jumping. Obi-Wan let the Force guide his lightsaber, slicing through Anakin's knees before taking his remaining hand. The mutilated body of his best friend fell to the ashy black sand, his lightsaber falling at Obi-Wan's feet. It was then, Qui-Gon knew, that Obi-Wan stopped thinking of the man as Anakin, and started thinking of him as Darth Vader. But Qui-Gon still held hope for the boy.

As Anakin grabbed at the burning sand with his mechanical hand, Obi-Wan finally let his tears surface, along with grief-driven words.

"You were the Chosen One!" he said, not to Vader, but to Anakin, who he thought of as dead. "You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them! You were supposed to bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"

"I hate you!" Qui-Gon was sure that that was the evil, dark thing called Vader speaking, the thing that had invaded the soul of the little boy he had known on Tatooine.

As Obi-Wan bent to pick up Anakin's fallen lightsaber, even the Dark Side couldn't prevent the fire that started eating at the torn remenants of Anakin.

"You were my brother, Anakin." Obi-Wan murmured as the flames ate at his former Padawan and screams ripped through the hot air. "I loved you."

As Obi-Wan began to walk away, everything became blurred, colors washed out, and sound became muted. Qui-Gon frowned. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The Force was writhing and screaming, its sorrow and loss evident.

Suddenly, giant, invisible hands seemed to grabbed Qui-Gon and lift him. _You! _The Force cried, _You__ can stop this from happening! You can save him! You must!_

Then everything was black and quiet. Qui-Gon wondered momentarily if he had gone deaf and blind, but that thought was dashed from his mind as a familiar sound reached his ears.

The deep, regular breathing of a sleeping Obi-Wan Kenobi.

000

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait, but I was busy finishing up another story! Updates will be quicker now, I promise!**

**Please note that I haven't read much of Star Wars beyond the six main books/movies, unless you count a ton of fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: nope, not mine, just barrowing.**

**000**

Qui-Gon lay quietly, trying to get his bearings, as Obi-Wan slept on. From what he could tell, they were in a small room, possibly a ship of some kind, and it was presumably late at night. Qui-Gon sent out a small Force-probe and found that he was correct, they were on a spaceship. According to the different Force signatures, several females were asleep in one part of the ship, three men were in the cockpit, an alien was sleeping in the main area, and a little boy and a slightly older girl were talking in the main area. Qui-Gon recognized who with a jolt.

_The Queen and Anakin!_

The Force must have sent him back to that sliver Nabooian cruiser on its way to Coruscant. But why? And how? His memories of the future were slipping, slipping away like grains of sand in the wind. Qui-Gon clutched at the remains.

Something horrible was going to happen soon, he knew, but he didn't know what. He just felt a searing pain, a rush of sadness, a sense of urgency, and a barrel of love and pride. And then something even more awful was going to happen, but years and years away. As he tried to think of it, he felt suddenly scorching hot, afraid, sad, and regretful, but yet a strange sense of unattachedness, as though it didn't really affect him personally.

Qui-Gon jumped slightly as Obi-Wan muttered something about crazy, hairless Masters, a dysfunctional cleaning droid, and some spray cheese and rolled over in his sleep. Qui-Gon grinned sheepishly to himself, having forgotten his Padawan was in the room, sleeping and apparently dreaming about pranking Mace with his friends.

A rush of images assaulted Qui-Gon as he thought of Obi-Wan.

_His Padawan's stony face, unimaginable sadness beneath, lit by flames._

_A braid-less, shaggy-haired Obi-Wan, reprimanding a small boy._

_A much older Obi-Wan, now with a full mullet and beard, looking over the side of a yellow speeder, muttering about hating someone for doing something stupid._

_A grim, and soggy, Obi-Wan, deflecting laser blasts in the pouring rain._

_Ob-Wan chained to a stone pillar, looking at a passing cart with disbelief, annoyance, a bit of anger, and a touch of pride._

_Obi-Wan, hair now cut much shorter, battling against thousands of droids in thousands of settings. Jungles, deserts, tundras, plains, mountains, cities, and so many more, always surrounded by white-armored men, and occasionally helped by other Jedi, usually a tall, dark haired man and a young Torguta girl._

_Obi-Wan, facing off against a powerful, multi-limbed droid with lightsabers and a pale woman with dark purplish tattoos wielding two red sabers, over and over and over, each time barley escaping._

_Obi-Wan, tears streaming down his face, standing atop a small black hill, shouting at someone laying at the foot of the hill, engulfed in flames, saying that he had loved the burning man like a brother._

The images stopped as suddenly as they had begun. Qui-Gon reached up and was unsurprised to find a trace of wetness on his cheek. His poor Padawan had gone through a lot, and it seemed he was destined to go through more.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon whispered. All he got in return was another mumble about spray cheese and Mace's head.

**000**

**Ok, I seriously have no idea what I just wrote. When I sat down to write this chapter, all I had in mind were three things: They're on the ship to Coruscant, Qui-Gon can't remember much about the future, and there needs to be some sort of humor because serious stories can get depressing really quick. You have just read the end result. I'm sorry if you're eyes are bleeding.**

**Thanks to every single reviewer! You guys make me smile! And please review this chapter too! Any ideas for the next few chapters are welcome and will be considered. :D**


	3. SO, SO, SORRY!

**It's just what everyone hates, what I always swore I would never do…**

**An author abandoning a story.**

**I'd like to thank, and apologize to, every single person who reviewed. You guys rock for the encouragement!**

**Mostly, I'd like to apologize to ****Hi Hikari No Kaze. I started this story because of a challenge she posted, and now I can't finish it. I'm so, so sorry, Hikari!**

**For those of you curious, my reasons for abandoning 'One Step Back' are pitiful and sad.**

**First, I have, unfourtunatly and horrifyingly, lost my interest in Star Wars. Yes, even though I can still play 'The Imperial March' and Luke's theme song from memory on my cello, and even though I'm still a hopeless Obi-Wan fangirl deep down, the series just doesn't interest me anymore. I guess the warning signs were when I stopped updating my SW stories and decided to **_**not**_** watch the new season of Clone Wars, right?**

**Second, I tried writing Chapter Three. I really, really tried. I have (well, had. I deleted it after deciding to do this) a whole folder on my computer that was completely filled with different veriations of Chapter Three, all of which sucked royal hippogriff. (Any idea exactly what fandom has replaced SW as my No. 1 obsession now?) **

**And thirdly, I just have too much going on in my life at the moment. Family issues, school issues, friend issues, boy issues, ect. You name it, I've got a few issues in that category somewhere. I know that's a feeble excuse, and I hate it when people say it, because FFN is supposed to be an escape from the real world, but it's the sad, sad truth.**

**And now, for those of you who have stuck by this long, I give you what I intended to happen in OSB.**

**Qui-Gon encourages Obi-Wan to spend time with Anakin, all the while carefully watching the way Anakin and Padme interact. When they come to the Temple, Anakin is tested, same results and all, Obi-Wan defends Anakin, much to Qui-Gon's pleasure. Amidala wants to go back to Naboo, yadda yadda yadda, big fight, Anakin saves the day, Obi and Qui duel Maul, who kills Qui. In his final moments, Qui-Gon tells Obi-Wan that he needs to trust Anakin, that he should always be there for the boy and not too harsh on him, and that, most of all, he is proud of Obi-Wan. Epilogue is around the time of the end of Episode Two. Anakin never fell in love with Padme, Mace was able to pull off a quiet, non-hostile rescue of Obi-Wan, and the clone production is stopped. All the clones already made are released to find their own way in the galaxy. Happy, happy, happy.**

**Not the best, I admit, but I was going to make it a lot better in actually story format.**

**Once again, I am truly and deeply sorry. If anyone, anyone at all, wants to adopt this story, or create their own version, feel free to do so.**


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